It is in the window, sometimes a little yellowed, often between the latest concert poster and the daily menu. The kashrut certificate. Everyone looks at it; few really read it. A shame, because it is the document answering “who stands behind what I eat here?”
No rabbinical debate here: we are not qualified, and we know it. Just what a certificate says, what it does not, and how Keila organises it all so you no longer confuse a sign, a directory and evidence.
What a kashrut certificate is for
A restaurant can call itself kosher. Anyone can write that on a sign, and yes, it happens. A certificate means a supervising organisation, a rabbinical authority, has agreed to oversee the establishment: suppliers, kitchen and a supervisor’s presence according to its rules. The organisation puts its name behind it. That makes all the difference.
In practice, it is a document issued to a specific establishment, at a specific address, for a given period. If one of those three does not match where you are sitting, there is a question to ask.
And no, a certificate is not a quality rating. It does not say whether the couscous is good, service is fast or the terrace is pleasant. It says who supervises, what, and until when. Reviews cover the rest, which is a different matter.
Who issues kosher certificates in Paris
The name you will see most often in Paris is Beth Din de Paris, attached to the Consistoire. It publishes a directory of the businesses it supervises, and that public directory is the source of Keila’s currently documented certifications. How to consult it yourself, and what it does and does not prove, is explained in Beth Din de Paris certified restaurant: how to check.
But it is not the only one. Kosher directories we consult also mention, among others:
- Rabbinat Loubavitch de France (Chabad);
- supervision by named rabbis, including Rav Rottenberg, Rav Katz and Rav Pevzner;
- other batei din, such as Chaaré Shalom Vé Tsedek.
Each has its requirements, practices and community. We will not tell you which is “more” kosher: that is neither our role nor our expertise. Nor do we have an exhaustive list of organisations active in Paris, and we will not pretend. We can clearly show which is named for which address, and where the information comes from.
Scope: the whole venue or only part
First word to learn: scope. A certificate may cover the whole establishment or only part: certain products, a range, a counter or an area. A caterer may have a supervised kitchen while selling other products alongside it that are not covered. A brand may be supervised at one address and not another. Same name, same logo, different supervision: the classic chain pitfall.
That is why each piece of information in Keila states whether it covers the whole establishment or only options. The catalogue’s 106 documented certifications as of 5 October 2026 all covered the entire establishment and all came from the official Beth Din de Paris directory, checked on 2 October. Each is rechecked regularly; evidence marked suspended no longer counts as a yes in the app. At the end of September, seven records were awaiting a new check under the review rule then in use; this did not demonstrate withdrawal of certification. We invent no additional certifications. When a place has only a directory mention, its listing says so and names the directory.
Date: a certificate does not last forever
Second word: date. A certificate has a validity period. A restaurant may change owners or supervision, or stop operating. The paper in the window sometimes stays long afterwards. Nobody thinks to remove the old one when the new one does not arrive.
If in doubt, look at the date on the document. If it has passed, that does not necessarily mean the place is no longer supervised: its renewal may simply be in a drawer. But it is the right moment to ask politely.
Keila shows the source and last check date for each piece of information. In the current implementation, evidence marked suspended or withdrawn never makes a place match your requirement. It disappears from that filter rather than remaining “probably still fine”.
Declaration and certification are different
The third distinction is the one we repeat most. A restaurant declaring itself kosher or vegan gives information. An organisation certifying provides evidence. Both are useful. They are not equivalent. Here is how the app itself puts it:
Documented certification is based on identified evidence. A declaration is information communicated by the establishment. Keila displays their nature separately: these two levels are not equivalent.
There is a third, quieter level: the directory. When an online kosher directory says an address is supervised by an organisation, that is a dated observation, useful for exploring, but not the certificate. Explore’s supervising organisation filter uses these directory mentions and documented certifications. It helps you search. It does not turn anyone into a certified restaurant.
Why Keila separates all of this on a listing
We could have put a pretty green “kosher” badge everywhere and moved on. It would have been quicker and wrong half the time. Instead, a Keila listing separately shows cuisine type (meat, dairy; see our article on bassari, halavi and pareve), directory mentions, restaurant declarations and documented certifications, each with its source and date.
Keila certifies nothing itself. It checks sources and shows their nature. If an address really matters to you, ask to see the certificate on site: that is your right, and a serious restaurant will gladly show it. The full reasoning is on our method page. For ratings, a separate matter again, read why Keila does not mix ratings. And for everything else, start here.